As you may or may not have gathered from the posts of this blog so far one of my greatest passions is animation and animated film. There has been some really great stuff out already this year (“Kung Fu Panda” and “Wall:E” specifically) but every time I go to the cinema I am dismayed by the complete lack of 2D animation coming to our screens. It would certainly be wrong to say 2D animation is dead but I definitely find it difficult to muster much enthusiasm for the sparse upcoming projects from this fading school of animation.
We’ve got Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” which fairly recently come out in Japan. Now Miyazaki is one of my all-time favourite directors, who has churned out some fantastic fantasy films with absolutely stunning animation, design and attention to detail but what little I’ve seen of his new film just doesn’t seem to excite me like the trailers of “Spirited Away” or “Howl’s Moving Castle” once did. It seems like a much more humble film, which certainly isn’t a bad thing, and I’m sure when I get the chance to see it I will enjoy it – but I can’t imagine it will inspire me to the extent of Miyazaki’s incredible back catalogue. I will certainly attempt to reserve my judgement before I see it and who knows, maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Then there is “The Princess and the Frog”, Disney’s return to 2D animation. Disney’s last 2D feature film was “Home on the Range” and with that film it was announced that Disney would no longer be producing 2D animated film – however like most grand statements made by big corporations they were talking bollocks and have already gone back on their word. And great! Let’s hope it’s a return to form for Disney but we have well over a year to wait for it – with it’s release date slated for late December 2009. Potentially this film could mark a rebirth for 2D animation but there are so many things to consider, will the generation of kids watching 3D animated films turn their nose up at anything with less than three dimensions? Will the minor controversy already surrounding the film grow in anyway?
Part of me thinks that if “The Princess and the Frog” fails, the main contributing factor is that it will seem dated, and not because of the medium of animation but because of its content. Pixar has completely changed animated film, through its intelligent parody of pop culture and modern life, through its detailed and complex characters, through its enthralling stories and inventive story telling. Can a Disney film made by the creators of “Aladdin” and “The Little Mermaid” match up to this, has the world of animation moved on without them? Disney’s 2D animated films certainly weren’t at their height with “Home on the Range”. “The Princess and the Frog” seems to run the risk of being another tired rehash, I mean it already has talking animals and a princess protagonist? Of course these things are impossible to predict and it is unfair to judge the film before it has come out. Despite these thoughts I am still fairly hopeful, I think if anyone can instigate a rebirth in 2D animation then it is the corporate behemoth Disney, and I am willing to sell my soul and back them if it means a revival of one of my favourite forms of film!
I’ve rambled a bit on this one but I think it has at least been interesting! Of course 2D animation will never really die, I think “Persepolis” has recently proved this, but I can’t see it ever stealing back its seat in big budget mainstream cinema from 3D animation. Shame they just can’t share it!
